ITW Security Division has developed a new Laminate Patch that is designed to work with a wide variety of plastic ID Card substrates including PVC, PET and composite cards that have been personalised with a D2T2 or retransfer card printer.

In a statement, the firm said SecurePrint also provides excellent adhesion and durability protecting the personalised ID Card or Driving Licence against daily wear and tear and tampering.

SecurePrint was developed for the US Driving License market by ITW in conjunction with one of their clients. Research indicated that a printed Laminate Patch containing multi-colours in tight registration would provide an excellent, cost-effective new Level 1 feature for cards. Level 1 features are essential to law enforcement to enable easy identification of genuine ID Cards and Driving Licences without the need for additional equipment, whilst also providing a high level of anti-counterfeiting protection and durability. SecurePrint debuted on the new Pennsylvania Driver License launched in June this year.

Photographs included on ID cards and documents using non-secure personalization techniques, such as ink-jet or standard D2T2 printing, can often be a target for substitution and therefore anti-counterfeiting efforts often concentrate on tamper prevention and tamper evidence. Whilst cards can be protected by simple clear Laminate Patches to add an element of durability, they do not offer the ability to authenticate the card.

With SecurePrint, ITW Security Division’s design department combine printed features to the Laminate Patch using the latest high security and optically variable inks. Custom SecurePrint designs take the background card artwork and combine this with the Laminate Patch to create one overall cohesive design in excellent registration, delivering a finished ID Card that is both attractive and original as well as being highly secure and easy to authenticate by law enforcement authorities.

The firms said that as the security technology is printed onto the SecurePrint Laminate Patch the lead-times are considerably reduce in comparison to holographic projects. This together with each SecurePrint Laminate Patch being customised to the specific requirements of the project ID Card printer or laminator, ensures perfect results in application and the ability to meet demanding lead-times for Driving Licence or ID Card projects.

Commenting on the new SecurePrint Laminate Patch Bob Carey, ITW Security Division’s Business Unit Manager said “Driving Licences and ID Cards are a real target for fraudsters and our SecurePrint Patch Laminates are an increasingly important part in delivering a timely, cost-effective solution that protects the design and personal data both from wear & tear and tampering by fraudsters. The ability to combine highly sophisticated security print in registration and as part of the overall card design is helping us support and improve the security in ID card projects globally."